Faradic medical apparatus



Feb. 5 1924;

J. J. GHEGAN FARADIC MEDICAL APPARATUS Filed April 28 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR A ATTORNEY Feb. 5 1924. 1,482,891

- J. J. GHEGAN FARADIG MEDICAL APPARATUS Filed April 28 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 r I b INVENTOR Wm ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 5, 1924.

UNITED STATES JOHN JOSEPH GHEGAN, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

FARADIC MEDICAL APPARATUS.

Application filed April 28, 1919. Serial No. 293,082.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JOHN JOSEPH GHE- GAN, a citizen of the ing in East Orange, Essex County, New

6 Jersey, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Faradic Medical Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to faradic medical 10 apparatus; that is, apparatus designed for use in the application of electricity to cure or remedy or alleviate bodily ills or diseases.

The object is to provide an apparatus that can be successfully used, cared for, and

lc'operated by technically uneducated or unskilled people or patients.

In this apparatus there is almost universally employed so-called electrodes, one form to be held in the hands and another form to be applied to the surface of the body and adapted to be moistened to increase conductivity, but whatever the form or purpose of the electrode employed, means are provided to supply these electrodes with current impulses and for varying the electro-motive forces. It is necessary to be able to start and stop the supply of electricity at the will of the patient. The starting action must be prompt and certain and the stop action must be so arranged as to immediately, at will, discontinue the use of the current.

There is herein described and shown an apparatus including a Ruhmkorflt' or Page induction coil, employing a spring-supported, vibrating make and break point. The circuit passes through this vibrating make and break point and through the primary coil of the inductorium. Heretofore it has been the practice to include a twopoint contact switch, in series, in the primary circuit, and this was designed to be operated by hand; it caused two break points to occur, in series, in the circuit, and a result of this was sometimes a suspension of operation due to dust or dirt accumulating on the hand operated switch while the inexperienced user would tinker with the other or automatic break point and often put it out of working condition. To obviate this difliculty only one break point is employed in the improved apparatus and that is the vibrating point, the use of which in some form is obligatory.

To accomplish this result the hand oper- United States, residated switch is employed but it is not in circuit; the hand operated switch is mechanical only, and is arranged and adapted to block and then again to release the vibrating contact. The vibrating contact is the only contact in circuit. When the manual switch is in one position it engages mechanically with the vibrating contact and holds it open; when the manual switch is in the opposite position it releases the vibrating contact, but to insure the prompt start and continued operation of the vibrating contact a snap action or accelerated action is imparted to the manual switch. This is like plucking the spring-supported vibrating contact which, when released by snap action suddenly releases the spring-supported contact and this latter contact strikes the circuitclosing point with an impact, due to its weight and velocity, recoils, and so starts and continues its vibrating movement, and this is done without skill or experience on the part of the patient and invariably follows the movement of the manual switch.

The induction coil is adapted to operate in circuit with the ordinary dry battery, but also operates on the alternating current circuit of commercial form, usually 110 volts anl sixty cycles, used for lighting and motor purposes'in extended areas of distribution.

The movable parts of the apparatus are enclosed in a box having a hinged cov'er. Carried by this cover there is a spring contact' that engages the mechanical circuit breaking swit h fixed in position near the wall of the box, ad acent to the vibrating circuit-breaker. When the cover is closed down the circuit is thus automatically opened.

A transformer of small dimensions is part of the apparatus and is adapted to fit into a lamp socket of an alternating current cirouit in any sick room, while a cell or more of dry battery of about the same size and area as the transformer may be employed as an alternative source of supply of electric' current, and both these sources of supply, the transformer and the dry battery, fit into position and rest inside the box. Within the box also is arranged the flexible connecting cords for electrically connecting the current with the inductorium, andthe inductorium with the electrodes usedin the application of current to the human body.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention:

Figure 1 shows the enclosing case or boX wide open; the inductorium, the connecting cord, and the step-down transformer are shown in the box, while other terms of the electrodes to be employed are secured in position in the cover.

shows the step-down transiormer connected to a lamp socket, in an alternating current circuit, by flexible cords, and two electroces connected to two terminals of the inductorium; the mechanical snap action switch shown in position to suddenly release the vibrating circuitbreaker.

Figure 3 is a cross-section at 33, Figure 53, showing details of the snap switch and the contact stop to engage the switch and automatically open circuit when the cover is closed down; and

Figure is a detail view, showing the manual mechanical snap-switch in position to maintain opencircuit conditions.

In Figure 1 the box 5 has a cover 0 hinged to box?) at d. ln'boir b there is an induction coil "J of the lduhmkorff or Page species having a primary coil disposed inside a secondary coil; theterminals of these coils are shown in sockets 1, 2, 3, on the baseboard 9; these sockets l, 2, 3, receive the terminals 25 of the fleiiible conducting cord 10; the opposite terminals are shaped and adapted to'connect with the various "forms of electrodes, like 11, 12; electrodes fit securely in position or are retained, when out of use, inside the box, as by spring clips like 18 There is: a flexible conducting cord f lying in the box cover; this cord has terminals 14 adapted to connect with the terminals of the primary coil at 15, the opposite terminals of cord 7', shown at 16, connect with terminals 17 of the step-down transformer g. This transformer g has a screw plug terminal, and contacts like an incandescent lamp, adapting it to be connected into electrical supply circuit it; this circuit is, or may be, the commercial circuit' carrying an alternating current of, sixty cycles and 110 volts.

It is extremely desirable in applying electricity to remedial purpose for human ills, to be able to and stop the applied current promptly and certainly, and to cut the current, especially when battery of electro-chemical nature is employed. to establish. normal conditions. The induction coil employed is of the general construction g iatented to Charles Grafton Page, the primary coil s connected in circuit, in series,

with a s =sunnorted armature 20 on :5 t v v n 9 flat spring 21, on a rigid support 22.

There'is a. stop forming a limit of movement or the. armature when attracted by ism in core 6, and'the Spring a bias due itsresilience which causes to engage a back contact or fixed post or sup port this contact 23, the primary coil,

and the source of electric current are in series and circuit is rapidly made and broken at contact 23. To start the 0peration it is customary to pluck the spring co with the finger. two-point switch has been used in series with the automatic circuit breaker, but this second break point in series with the automatic vibrating contact leads to trouble in inexperienced hands. To guard against this tieuble there is provided a two armed, pivoted lever e, moving in a plane parallel n th the 9; one arm abuts the armature, and acts to block it, and then to release it; the opposite end of this twoarmed pivoted lever 26 has a button 27, w a-pted to form a hand or finger contact, *nd below thelever, between the lever and the base is inclined p ne surface 28 fined in position so that as n 26 moves into position to bring r n 21-) into position to block armature 90 an ,,Gl'.l 5l1 circuit at 23, said arm 26 rides up theincline and is retained in set, 90 position, but upon the reverse movement a touch of the operators finger starts arm down tie incline 2E3, arm moving with accelerated speed so that the efiective release of armature 20 is practically identical with the plucking action of the finger employed by experts; the result is approxim ly like that of the well-known sna action switch employed to avoid drawing are when circuit is broken. It results 1 t at the vibrator is started into action quickly and when so started acts continuously and uniformly,

Lin the hinged cover is a spring contact, shaped as shown at 30. This, when the 0 cover is closed engages the linger-piece 27, on lever s and forces arm 25 into engagemen-t with armature 20, thus opening cirwait at 23.

il hat I claim is: I

1. In an electric therapeutical apparatus, an induction coil, in combination with a single point vibrating contact, a manually operated switch for blocking or releasing said vibrating contact, and means, independent of th vibrating contact, for accelera-ling the releasing; action of the man uilly operated switch.

2. in i electric therapeutical apparatus, an induction coil, a reciprocating armature associated therewith, manually operated means, normally out of circuit with said armature, for blocking or releasing it, in combinaticn with automatic means, independent of said armature, for imparting a snap action to said manually operated means afan induction coil provided supported armature, a two arm pivoted lever one arm of which is adapted to either block orrelease the armature, manually operated means associated with the other arm for positioning said first arm into either blocking or releasing position with reference to the armature, and means, independent of the armature, for accelerating the movement of the manually operated means into a position where it acts to release the armature.

4:. In an inductorium' the combination with the vibrating circuit-breaker'of an auxiliary lever, an inclined surface separate from the circuit breaker and on WhlOh said lever moves and means whereby said lever blocks said vibratory contact when moved in one direction and releases said vibratory contact with an accelerated movement in the opposite direction following the initiation 0 such movement.

5. In an inductorium, a vibratory contact, an auxiliary pivoted controlling lever therefor adapted to block and release the vibration of said contact and means, independent of the vibrating contact, whereby the releasing movement of said lever, when initiated, is automatically accelerated.

6. In an apparatus as described the combination of an enclosing box, a hinged cover therefor, an inductorium including a vibrating contact, a two-armed pivoted lever adapted to block and release said contact, and a projection fixed on said cover, arranged to shift the position of said lever when said cover is closed.

JOHN J. GHEGAN. 

